


make your heart beat in reverse

by HearJessRoar



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Nicknames, dumb teenager humor, gently making fun of each other to show your affection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28370517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HearJessRoar/pseuds/HearJessRoar
Summary: Alex makes Willie blush, likeonce. Willie takes that personally.He comes to regret what he’s started.Because now, Willie has taken this one, singular incident as permission to be as ridiculous as possible, and has made it his mission to fluster Alex at any opportunity he’s given.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 526





	make your heart beat in reverse

It starts because Willie owns the dumbest sweatshirt that was ever created.

It’s red and white and so disgustingly 1983 that Alex should absolutely _not_ find the ugly thing so charming.

But he does.

And the worst part is that the shirt has two deep pockets in the front, on either side of Willie’s chest. For the life and death of him, Alex cannot figure out what anybody needed boob pockets for in the 80s, before the advent of everyday cell phones. Smokes, maybe.

Anyway, the point is that it’s awful, and Alex hates that he loves it.

Willie’s wearing it today, and Alex cannot stop staring at those _freakin' pockets._

He’s backlit by the sun, casting his head in a golden halo as he stands next to Julie where she sits at the piano, moving the sheet music for her and jokingly pretending to mix it up. He’s giggling as he does it and normally that would be enough to keep Alex’s attention for the next several minutes, but instead he cannot stop focusing on that dumbass shirt.

So he does what anyone would do when they’re distracted by their boyfriend’s ridiculous fashion choices; he gets off the couch, and joins them at the piano.

Willie gives him a confused smile as Alex goes to stand behind him, resting his chin on Willie’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around Willie’s chest. He tucks his hands into the pockets, feeling petty.

“These are so stupid,” he grumbles into Willie’s hair. Willie laughs again, a delighted pink blush spreading across his face.

Julie is rolling her eyes at them, playing aggressively louder like she can tune them out that way.

Willie leans back against him, letting Alex keep his hands in the pockets for as long as he wants despite the fact that Alex can tell he’s flustered by such an open display of affection. It’s cute, and just because he’s a little bit of a shithead sometimes, Alex presses a kiss to the underside of Willie’s jaw.

That does it, and Willie’s face grows hot next to his as he ducks his head in embarrassment.

Alex grins to himself, rather pleased.

He comes to regret what he’s started.

Because now, Willie has taken this one, singular incident as permission to be as ridiculous as possible, and has made it his mission to fluster Alex at any opportunity he’s given.

And Julie, the traitor, has given him the perfect opportunity.

He can feel his ears starting to burn as he reads the words splashed across Willie’s chest, and Willie’s shit-eating grin is not helping in the slightest.

Julie is cackling. "You did say you hated his other shirt, Alex. I thought this one might be better," she hiccups through her giggles.

It's not. It's very much not.

He does take some satisfaction out of the fact that Willie’s face is tinged pink too. At least he isn't the only one with the good sense to be embarrassed by a novelty tee shirt that reads, _Save A Drum; Bang A Drummer_ in hot pink letters.

They get a good laugh at Alex's expense, and Willie privately promises him that he won't wear the shirt again if Alex doesn't want him to.

And that should be the end of it, Alex thinks.

But it isn't, and Willie’s mission continues. Any chance he gets to crack a flirty innuendo in front of their friends, just to make Alex look twice, he takes it.

And Alex would be more annoyed by it if he didn't know that the affection was completely sincere.

Willie likes to joke that Alex wears his heart on both sleeves to make up for Luke having no sleeves of his own, but Willie tends to do the same thing himself.

And Alex catches the tiny smile on his face whenever he calls him whatever name pops out of his mouth at the time.

"Hotdog," when they're away from Reggie and Luke, because Willie is still a little nervous about upsetting them.

"Pretty boy," in front of Julie, said with a wink as Alex pouts about it.

"Sunshine," his hands on Alex’s jaw seconds later, trying to get his attention while Alex is trying to figure out the new song Luke has thrown at him.

Personally, he's still a big fan of "... _'lex_ ," breathless and eyes closed, Willie’s forehead still pressed to his in the space between kisses.

Every single one of them makes his blood rise, which is funny since he doesn't _have_ blood anymore. He's an uptight person, he knows he is. And theoretically, the fact that Willie is purposely trying to get under his skin this way should make Alex want to avoid him, but it doesn't.

He craves it, the easy affection that Willie has for him, and he knows that it's changed him.

It ends the way it starts; with Alex deciding not to overthink for once.

He doesn't mean to do it. He isn't thinking of revenge, or payback, or anything else Willie accuses him of later.

It just. Slips out.

And it's such a rainy afternoon, too. If Alex had wanted to do it on purpose, he'd have picked a better romantic locale than Julie’s garage on a stormy, cold, _grey_ day.

He'd just been tuning his kit, dammit.

Minding his own business, tightening drum heads, while Willie perched on the back of the armchair closest to him.

And they were having a nice time, hanging out, joking, flirting a little with nobody else in the garage to tease them.

But then.

The damn drum key drops from his fingers and manages to bounce halfway across the floor, a clattering, skittering of metal on concrete. Alex curses, and goes to get up and chase it down, but Willie beats him to it.

He hops off the chair in a heartbeat, fishing the key out from under the coffee table where it's settled. As he leans down, his crop top rides up his back and Alex is definitely maybe staring at the smooth expanse of skin revealed there.

Willie straightens back up, holding the drum key aloft triumphantly and tossing his hair out of his face.

If Alex’s heart was still beating, it would _pound_ at the vision before him.

He smiles as Willie leans over the kit to hand him the key, their fingers brushing electric as he does so, and Alex swallows.

"Thanks, babe," he says.

Willie falters.

And Alex doesn't realize immediately that he's said anything unusual, too focused on finishing his work.

But when, a moment later, he notes that Willie has not resumed his seat on the chair and is still standing in front of the kit, he looks at him, concerned.

Willie’s ears have gone very red, a soft pink blush spread across his nose, and Alex only gets to see this long enough to register it, because the second he makes eye contact, Willie buries his face in his hands.

"Oh my god," he breathes. "That's not fair-"

Alex is on his feet, reaching out over the kit hesitantly. "Willie-?"

Willie doubles over and comes back up, his face still in his hands, and scrubs his palms down his cheeks, looking a little hysterical. His eyes are suspiciously bright.

"You called me babe," he squeaks.

Alex presses rewind on his memory, thinks back, hits pause.

Huh.

So he had.

"...I'm...sorry?" He says slowly, a little bit baffled by Willie’s reaction. "I won't do it again-"

"No!" Willie protests, blushing harder. "Oh my god. No, Alex-"

"Well, if it bothered you this bad-"

"Alex, I've never liked hearing anything so much in my life," Willie blurts out. "Or death," he tacks on absently, looking horrifically embarrassed.

And even as he can feel the blush rising in his own cheeks, Alex can't help the teasing grin that tugs at his mouth. "All your nicknames for me, and the thing that breaks you is _babe_ -"

"Shut up-"

"Make me, _babe_."

Willie grabs the front of his shirt, yanks him forward over the kit, and meets him halfway, his shyly smiling lips nearly missing Alex’s laughing mouth as they both try to balance their kiss and not knock over Alex’s very expensive drums.

And as they break apart, Willie’s eyes closed like he always does, like he's busy savoring the moment, Alex’s hands cupping his jaw and Willie’s fingers still tangled in his shirt, Alex breathes.

There might be something to this nicknames nonsense after all.

**Author's Note:**

> willie's ugly 80s titty pocket sweatshirt exists and i am currently wearing it. it's my uncle's from 1982.
> 
> ive wanted to use the sweatshirt and alex calling willie "babe" for the first time and the save a drum joke for awhile so i thought i should just combine all of them. 
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoyed, pls comment if you did and then go check out my other works thanks ilu


End file.
